The present invention relates to a method of making a printed paper product. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of coating a paper substrate with a smooth thin resin surface and printing thereon.
While it is known to chemically treat a paper substrate pursuant to printing thereon, there remains a need for an economical method by which glossy-paper with brightly colored images can be produced. Conventional printing processes often involve printing the same material twice in order to locate a sufficient amount of ink on the surface of glossy paper to provide a satisfactory image thereon because the smooth paper surface has little affinity for the ink. On the other hand, if a paper substrate has a relatively rough and absorbent surface excessive amounts of ink and hence expense are required for satisfactory results because much of the ink is absorbed beneath the surface of the paper.
Wherefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for providing a thin coating layer on a paper substrate which will impart a glossy finish thereto and yet which is receptive to printing ink. It is another object of this invention to provide an improved paper product comprising a paper substrate having a thin resin coating having inked images thereon. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method particularly suited for discrete, continuous, high speed paper coating and printing operations and which is economical and energy efficient. A still further object of this invention is to provide a paper product having good strength and flexibility and which is useful for magazine pages, packaging, decorative and other applications and for which a printed paper substrate is suitable. These and other objects features and advantages will be apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.